Tag: Tensor

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Mobile Syrup

Google to use first-gen Tensor chip in the Pixel Tablet, might be Wi-Fi-only

Google may plan to use its first-gen Tensor chip in its upcoming Pixel Tablet.

Developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared on Twitter details gleaned from AOSP code about the Pixel Tablet. That includes the plan to use ‘gs101’ (the codename for the Tensor chip used in the Pixel 6 series) but would also not include GPS hardware or a cellular modem. Wojciechowski also noted the Pixel Tablet will lack proximity and barometer sensors.

Depending on your views about tablets, this news may come as a disappointment. However, given other rumours about the Pixel Tablet doubling as a detachable display for a future Nest Hub revamp, the missing sensors make a little more sense.

It seems like Google’s setting up the Pixel Tablet to be a lower-cost media consumption device rather than a high-end content creation device like the iPad Pro. Wojciechowski backs this up, citing previously leaked info about the Pixel Tablet only supporting 64-bit Android. According to Wojciechowski, dropping 32-bit could reduce resource requirements like RAM. Wojciechowski then points at the Pixel 6a, which has 6GB of RAM and supports 32-bit and 64-bit, and suggests the Pixel Tablet could have 4GB of RAM with a 64-bit-only build.

With all this in mind, it increasingly looks like the Pixel Tablet will at least be a low-cost media tablet with minimum specs. The inclusion of Tensor may be surprising, but it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s likely cheaper for Google to include its custom Tensor chip than an off-the-shelf Qualcomm chip, similar to how Apple routinely uses older A-series chips in lower-cost devices like the iPad.

If the Nest Hub rumour is true, then the Pixel Tablet could be a strong competitor in the space. Imagine a Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max-style device, but you can just pull the screen off and use it like a tablet. That’d be great, and basically my dream tablet.

Source: Kuba Wojciechowski (Twitter) Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Report shows Pixel 6, 6 Pro carved out a tiny spot for Tensor in global chip market

Source: https://blog.google/products/pixel/google-tensor-debuts-new-pixel-6-fall/

Google’s 2021 flagships, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, brought a lot of new and interesting things. Chief among them was Google’s Tensor chip, which has surprisingly carved out a tiny space in the market.

Despite only being available in two phones, which themselves are only sold in about a dozen countries worldwide, it appears Tensor nabbed a tiny 1 or 2 percent space at the high-end of the Android phone chipset market.

Counterpoint Research recently published a breakdown of the global Android chipset market. Unsurprisingly, it shows Qualcomm and Samsung dominating the high-end and premium segments. Qualcomm also holds the majority of the mid-to-high end market, with MediaTek covering the majority of the lower end.

Moreover, the report looks at 2021. That means for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s impact only came in the last two months’ worth of data included in the chart. So, while Tensor’s impact is small, it’s still impressive considering the timeline.

If Google continues to pump out impressive Pixel devices sporting Tensor chips, in a couple of years we could Google make a larger impact on the global chip market.

Judging by the rumours, Google’s upcoming Pixel 6a will use Tensor, so Google could soon make an impact in the lower end of the chart too.

Source: Counterpoint Research Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

The pandemic reportedly disrupted Google’s plan to launch Pixel 5 with Tensor

There have been rumours for a while now that Google’s Pixel 5 ‘flagship’ wasn’t supposed to launch with the mid-range Snapdragon 765G like it did. However, according to a new video from Marques Brownlee (MKBHD on YouTube), the Pixel 5 was actually supposed to ship with Google’s Tensor processor.

Brownlee dropped a massive 30+ minute video going back over every Nexus and Pixel phone. Towards the end of that video (at 29:41, to be precise), Brownlee says he’s heard from “people at Google” that Tensor was supposed to launch in the Pixel 5. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing supply chain disruptions upended that plan. Google switched to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G at the last moment.

Android Authority, which first covered Brownlee’s comments, noted that it’s unclear whether the Pixel 5 Tensor chip was the same as what’s now in the Pixel 6. Android Police, however, reports that leaks indicate the Pixel 5 Tensor was slightly different than what launched in the Pixel 6.

Regardless, it’s interesting to think about how a Tensor-equipped Pixel 5 may have shaken things up for Google. Although the Pixel 5 was generally considered a good phone, its Snapdragon 765G made it difficult to call a flagship. In some ways, the Pixel 6 line appears to be completely opposite to the Pixel 5, forgoing things like a small size option, a unique, textured backplate and other little features in favour of a more generic “premium flagship” glass sandwich.

If you’re interested, you can check out Brownlee’s full Nexus/Pixel video here.

Source: MKBHD (YouTube), Via: Android Authority, Android Police